Updates

Celebrating One Year as MPP, International Women's Day Events, Ontario NDP Summer Internship Program, and more

For some, politics is personal – it’s about growing a career. For me it can only be about growing a community. It’s been almost a year since I was sworn-in as your MPP for Parkdale—High Park. It truly is the honour of a lifetime to serve our riding as your representative in provincial parliament.    As we near the one-year milestone, I’ve been reflecting on why it is that I decided to run for elected office—and to run as a New Democrat. The main reason? I believe in abundance. I know that in a province as wealthy as ours, we have the resources for everyone to thrive. And yet, in my previous role as a United Church minister, I saw families harmed every day by politicians who pretend there’s not enough to go around—that is, until it comes to payday for their insider buddies. I was heartbroken by moms who came to my office on school days with their kids in tow because they couldn’t afford to buy them lunch. By refugees forced to sleep on frozen winter sidewalks because there were no shelter beds in Toronto—one of the largest cities in North America. By families lined up at food banks, exhausted after working multiple jobs, because they still couldn’t make ends meet. I knew there needed to a systemic fix, not just the charitable side of things. We needed to bring real solutions.

The Ontario NDP is serious about strengthening our province and making life better and more affordable for all Ontarians. We’re fighting to double the supply of deeply affordable housing, and to bring in real rent controls, pharmacare, and consumer protections so that no one ever has to choose between essentials like food, housing and medication.   We’re committed to bolstering the public systems Ontarians rely on and are proud of. We know that to build a more stable and prosperous society we must invest in public health care, education, child care and transit—and double social assistance rates so no one falls through the cracks. That's how we build community. That's how we make a movement to last. So thank you for your trust this past year, and for working together for a brighter Parkdale—High Park.

Upcoming Events: Skating, Tenant Town Hall, Lunar New Year, and more!

February is shaping up to be quite a busy month! We have a lot of great events coming up in the riding and at Queen's Park: skating parties, tenant and education town halls, Lunar New Year celebrations and more. I've included all the details below. 👇 As this is the first newsletter of February, I also want to wish everyone a happy Black History Month and recognize the many contributions Black Canadians have made to Parkdale­—High Park and our province!  I look forward to seeing you in the community in the coming weeks.  With warmth and gratitude, Alexa

Won't you be my neighbour?

I hope this message finds you safe and warm. Winter has hit hard these past weeks, and global news has hit even harder. Between the frigid temperatures and record snowfall, Toronto is still digging itself out from the largest winter storm in our city's history--and the snowiest January to boot!  It's been a challenge, but as always our community has pulled together: shoveling sidewalks for seniors, helping neighbours dig out cars and laneways, and bringing those in need to warming shelters. It's mutual care and generosity such as this that strengthens our communities and helps builds our resilience. We see this in the example of our Minnesota neighbours, who have shown up bravely day after day in the depths of winter to protect their communities from the ICE threat. To stand against authoritarianism and white supremacy and try to help one another--as Renée Good and Alex Pretti heroically did--even to their very last breath.  American journalist Ana Marie Cox wrote last week on how Minnesota's longstanding tradition of mutual aid enabled its rapid mobilization against ICE--building the community connections, response networks and habits of helping that have been essential to their response. As she says, "truly resilient communities don’t arise out of an emergency. They come together before that through a thousand little acts on a regular basis." So in the weeks and months ahead, let's keep coming together as a community, both in joyful times and times of hardship. Because it's these connections more than anything that will help us protect one another--and our democracy. Click on the video below for my further thoughts on events in the US, their connection to Ontario politics and what we can all be doing to better help our neighbours:

With warmth and gratitude, Alexa

Kicking Off 2026 in Parkdale—High Park

Happy New Year, Parkdale—High Park! With the start of the new year comes a lot of exciting things ahead. Our constituency office reopened last week, and my team and I are back and ready to serve and support our community. As you may have heard, the upcoming legislative session has been pushed back by an additional six weeks and will now resume on March 23. While the Ford government may be on vacation, we’ll be right here in Parkdale—High Park, continuing to work on the issues that matter most to this community. From my community skate parties to advocacy for tenants, women in the workplace, and the environment, here’s a sneak peek at some of what we have planned in the months ahead:

Community Skate Party — Save the Date! Keep an eye out for an upcoming announcement about my Community Skate Party on February 20 and 22. As winter winds down, join me for a chance to get outside and enjoy the season while it lasts—with free skating and hot chocolate. I hope to see you there! Feb. 20th at Rennie Park Rink - 4-8 pm Feb. 22nd at High Park Rink - 12-6pm

Tenant Meetings & Town Halls: During this legislative break, I’ll be holding tenant meetings and town halls across our riding to hear directly from tenants about the housing issues that matter most to them. These conversations are an important opportunity to connect, share information, and ensure tenant voices are heard and brought back to Queen’s Park in March.

Environment: Join me on January 27 as I moderate a timely and urgent discussion on Extreme Wildfire Events in Urban Environments, alongside environmental advocates Peter Tabuns (MPP, Toronto–Danforth), Dr. Anabela Bonado, and John Vaillant. You can register to attend HERE. For more details, scroll down to view the event poster.

Women’s Advocacy: Building on Phase 1 of the Women in the Workforce Plan, I’ll be continuing to advance conversations and advocacy around women’s rights in the workplace. More details on upcoming engagements will be rolled out soon.

As always, thank you for staying engaged and connected. I look forward to seeing many of you out in the community in the weeks ahead. With warmth and gratitude, Alexa

End of Summer Wrap-Up

It’s the first day of school! I want to wish all our Parkdale—High Park students, teachers, and families a fantastic school year filled with learning, discovery and fun.   This past weekend, my team and I handed out over 300 backpacks and school supply sets at our office’s annual Back to School Fair. Watching kids’ faces light up, I was reminded of the wonderful sense of possibility back to school brings. It should be a time of excitement, not worry. But the Ford government’s relentless attacks on our public schools are taking away students’ supports and families’ peace of mind. Parents of special needs kids are increasingly frightened to send their kids to schools with inadequate staffing and resources. In our own riding, I’ve heard from many parents distressed by the loss of invaluable EAs and support staff in their kids’ classrooms. It’s a direct result of Ford’s $6.36 billion cuts to public schools since 2018. And now, instead of funding our schools, the Ford government wants to police them.

In June, the Ministry of Education took over Toronto school boards and shut out our democratically elected trustees, robbing our community of its voice. They’ve placed the Toronto District School board under the full control of Ford-appointed Rohit Gupta, a former Metrolinx advisor who lacks any experience in public education. Meanwhile, our democratically elected school board trustees have been locked out of their TDSB emails and phones and ordered not to engage with families or students. (Add your name to tell the Minister this is not okay.) It's all part of a larger power grab. Education Minister Paul Calandra has recently said that the government is considering eliminating all democratically elected school board trustees province-wide. The announcement comes as Conservatives gear up to pass Bill 33, Supporting Students and Children Act, which will give them greater power to take over school boards.

School’s starting. Ford’s failing.

The children are not alright…but there is hope when we work together. 

As summer break ends and families across the province prepare for back-to-school, I can’t help but feel deeply disappointed — and angry — at how this government is treating Ontario’s children. 

You’ve heard me say it before. From overcrowded, overheated classrooms to five-year waitlists for autism support, to the heartbreaking reality that one child dies every three days while under Ontario’s protection, the Ford government’s neglect of our most vulnerable young people is impossible to ignore.

“Devastating,” NDP joins calls to implement expert recommendations to support students with disabilities in Ontario classrooms

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Education, Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West—Nepean), and Shadow Minister with responsibility for the Ontario Autism Program, Alexa Gilmour (Parkdale—High Park), have issued the following response to Community Living Ontario’s report on the reality that students with disabilities and special needs are facing in classrooms: